For original release see: City of Tallahassee
At this week’s annual Florida Airports Council (FAC) Conference and Exposition, Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) was honored with the 2021 FAC J. Bryan Cooper Environmental Award for its most recent solar farm development, the completion of Solar Farm 2. The annual award recognizes an FAC member airport that promotes, implements or undertakes environmental projects and programs that have a positive impact on the Florida Aviation System.
Solar Farm 2 added a 330-acre site to the existing 120-acre Solar Farm 1. Together, the two solar farms make up the largest airport-based solar farm in the world, spanning approximately 450 acres and producing more than 60 megawatts of clean energy per year.
“As the capital city of the Sunshine State, we are dedicated to preserving our community’s natural resources and reducing the City’s carbon footprint. Using airport property for the solar farm is part of an innovative approach toward reaching the City’s goal of 100 percent net clean, renewable energy by 2050,” Mayor John Dailey said.
The energy produced by TLH’s solar farms supplies the City’s electric grid with enough renewable energy to sustain the City’s municipal buildings and provide more than 9,500 Tallahassee Utilities customers with clean, affordable and reliable energy.
Solar Farm 2 was completed after nearly two years of planning, design and coordination by a team that included TLH, the City’s Electric Utility Department, Origis Energy, Michael Baker International and dozens of contractors and agencies.